Online Reporter
Herald reporter
Some 827 former Zimbabwean WENELA mine workers and their dependants have lodged compensation claims with the Tshiamiso Trust as the organisation intensifies efforts to process claims for occupational lung diseases contracted in South African gold mines.
The Trust, established to compensate eligible former mine workers and their dependants who contracted silicosis and work-related tuberculosis ,while employed at six South African gold mining companies, said the claims were progressing through various stages of assessment and verification.
Tshiamiso Trust chief executive Dr Munyadziwa Kwinda said 826 of the claims were lodged by living claimants, while one was submitted on behalf of a deceased former mine worker.
“As at the end of June 2026, 827 claims had been lodged, comprising 826 living claimants and one deceased claimant. In addition, 32 Benefit Medical Examinations have been completed,” he said.
Dr Kwinda said claims were undergoing eligibility assessment, verification of claimant information, retrieval and validation of historical employment records, medical assessment where applicable, medical certification and compensation determination. He, however, said no compensation payments had yet been made in Zimbabwe as the Trust continued strengthening systems required to process eligible claims.
“At this stage, no compensation payments have been effected in Zimbabwe.
“The Trust recognises the importance of progressing eligible claims through the compensation process while operational work is underway to strengthen the retrieval of historical employment records required for many older claims,” he said.
According to the Trust, one of the major challenges has been locating employment records for former mine workers whose service pre-dates comprehensive electronic record-keeping.
To address the challenge, the Trust has introduced an interim fingerprint-based search process in collaboration with The Employment Bureau of Africa (TEBA) to trace archived Records of Service while upgrading systems to improve information sharing and reduce manual processing.
Dr Kwinda said the compensation framework also catered for eligible dependants, including surviving spouses and qualifying family members.
“The Trust remains committed to ensuring that every eligible claimant has the opportunity to access the compensation process. Former mineworkers and eligible dependants who believe they may qualify are encouraged to engage through the established claims channels, where assistance will continue to be provided throughout the registration and claims process,” he said.
The Tshiamiso Trust continues to implement the programme in Zimbabwe in partnership with local stakeholders as it works towards processing compensation for eligible former mineworkers and their families.
In October last year, the Trust signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Government and the National Social Security Authority (NSSA), which formally authorised the Trust to operate in Zimbabwe.
The programme covers former employees of major mining companies, including African Rainbow Minerals, Anglo American South Africa, AngloGold Ashanti, Gold Fields, Harmony Gold and Sibanye-Stillwater.
Workers who carried out risky work between March 12, 1965 and December 10, 2019 and were diagnosed with silicosis before December 2021 or contracted tuberculosis while employed or within a year of leaving the mines qualify for compensation.
